Do cops have too much power?

Tonight I was watching a "most shocking police videos" show - and I saw something interesting that made me think...
cops pull over the driver of a car, proceed to search the car, then attempt the open the trunk... they cannot get the trunk open- and eventually realize someone is actually in the trunk, holding the latch down...
the cops then proceed to swarm the trunk, drawing handguns, shotguns, etc... they shout two verbal warnings that they will open fire if the person inside does not open the trunk- luckily, before they can begin shooting, the person inside opens the trunk - one cop responds- "wise move, young man- you almost got a bunch of bullets in you"...

my question is this - do cops have a bit too much power when it comes to deciding who lives and who dies? True, the person inside could have been armed and dangerous- but, what if the person inside the trunk was deaf, down syndrome, didn't speak English, or could not comply for some other reason?? The show, of course, excuses the police behavior away, saying they had to assume the person inside was armed and dangerous- but I still find it ridiculous that cops could kill someone in such a situation... the officers didn't even get a look at the person, and they were going to end their life, right then and their, just for not complying.

A gun gives you an incredible amount of power.

this is a good question as after watching ththis progam a few times i sometimes think american police are way too reliant on their firearms,almost to the point of intimidation.skilfulgary

Honestly when your a cop you are more cautious. Therefore one hand should always be on your sidearm ready for you to unlatch it. Even after pulling over a driver at night or something. If someone is in the trunk it obviously seems like there trying to ambuse the cops. That would be my reaction. Draw your guns whenever you feel is necessary.

[QUOTE="skilfulgary"]this is a good question as after watching ththis progam a few times i sometimes think american police are way too reliant on their firearms,almost to the point of intimidation.3sFan

Honestly when your a cop you are more cautious. Therefore one hand should always be on your sidearm ready for you to unlatch it. Even after pulling over a driver at night or something. If someone is in the trunk it obviously seems like there trying to ambuse the cops. That would be my reaction. Draw your guns whenever you feel is necessary.

I'm all for cops carrying firearms and being cautious, but not to the point of being irrational with those firearms- they should only be used when an actual threat is presented, not a potential threat. right?

Your example isn't too good. The cops gave them two warnings and that to me is plenty. That and why would a deaf person or someone with down syndrome be in the trunk? Also cops don't know what to expect so they are always cautious and have their weapons ready if necessary.

Now are we talking about in general or just in the whole trunk situation?GrandJury

In general-

because obviously if they had killed that person in the trunk, or so the show suggested, they had the right and authority to do so based upon that person possibly possessing a gun.

Wow. Man I'm glad I'm Canadian!

Your example isn't too good. The cops gave them two warnings and that to me is plenty. That and why would a deaf person or someone with down syndrome be in the trunk? Also cops don't know what to expect so they are always cautious and have their weapons ready if necessary.

Ragnarok1051

hehe, well- a deaf person is just as likely to commit a crime as anyone else- and an illegal alien might have been in the trunk to hide from police.

[QUOTE="3sFan"]

[QUOTE="skilfulgary"]this is a good question as after watching ththis progam a few times i sometimes think american police are way too reliant on their firearms,almost to the point of intimidation.Scoob64

Honestly when your a cop you are more cautious. Therefore one hand should always be on your sidearm ready for you to unlatch it. Even after pulling over a driver at night or something. If someone is in the trunk it obviously seems like there trying to ambuse the cops. That would be my reaction. Draw your guns whenever you feel is necessary.

I'm all for cops carrying firearms and being cautious, but not to the point of being irrational with those firearms- they should only be used when an actual threat is presented, not a potential threat. right?

Wrong when your a cop there is no time between deciding whats a potential threat and what could be an actual threat. Drawing your firearm is not bad in a potentially "threat-like" situation. I'll give you an example. On an episode of Worlds Wildest Police Videos a cop pulled over a car. There were 3 guys in it. Two of them were in back of the car by the trunk and the third was in the car. The one in the car came out without the officers permission and distracted him while the other 2 took him down. Then the third took the officers gun and shot him ... killing him. Had he had his hand on the gun this may of been prevented. A month later a similar thing happened and the officer pulled his gun on the suspect. If he hadn't he too may of gotten killed.

[QUOTE="skilfulgary"]this is a good question as after watching ththis progam a few times i sometimes think american police are way too reliant on their firearms,almost to the point of intimidation.3sFan

Honestly when your a cop you are more cautious. Therefore one hand should always be on your sidearm ready for you to unlatch it. Even after pulling over a driver at night or something. If someone is in the trunk it obviously seems like there trying to ambuse the cops. That would be my reaction. Draw your guns whenever you feel is necessary.

Like I said. In a situation like that you need to think before you shoot. I honestly believe they said that as a scare tactic. At the end of the day the person came out unharmed. Cops need to be prepared for all situations and they need to be ready to use their gun when needed. So I say no, cops do not have to much power. Especially when they go up against gangs who have better weapons and numbers than they do.GrandJury

I hear what you're saying- but if it was only a scare tactic the cop's statement after they came out of the trunk seems a bit odd. - Also, the show said the police were to assume the person inside was using deadly force.

No, I don't think so. Human mentality is the problem when it comes to power though.. not having too much or too little.

[QUOTE="3sFan"]

[QUOTE="skilfulgary"]this is a good question as after watching ththis progam a few times i sometimes think american police are way too reliant on their firearms,almost to the point of intimidation.skilfulgary

Honestly when your a cop you are more cautious. Therefore one hand should always be on your sidearm ready for you to unlatch it. Even after pulling over a driver at night or something. If someone is in the trunk it obviously seems like there trying to ambuse the cops. That would be my reaction. Draw your guns whenever you feel is necessary.

If they pose a threat. The cops have every right to shoot at them.

not at all they have alot of guidlines

[QUOTE="Scoob64"]

[QUOTE="3sFan"]

Honestly when your a cop you are more cautious. Therefore one hand should always be on your sidearm ready for you to unlatch it. Even after pulling over a driver at night or something. If someone is in the trunk it obviously seems like there trying to ambuse the cops. That would be my reaction. Draw your guns whenever you feel is necessary.

3sFan

I'm all for cops carrying firearms and being cautious, but not to the point of being irrational with those firearms- they should only be used when an actual threat is presented, not a potential threat. right?

Wrong when your a cop there is no time between deciding whats a potential threat and what could be an actual threat. Drawing your firearm is not bad in a potentially "threat-like" situation. I'll give you an example. On an episode of Worlds Wildest Police Videos a cop pulled over a car. There were 3 guys in it. Two of them were in back of the car by the trunk and the third was in the car. The one in the car came out without the officers permission and distracted him while the other 2 took him down. Then the third took the officers gun and shot him ... killing him. Had he had his hand on the gun this may of been prevented. A month later a similar thing happened and the officer pulled his gun on the suspect. If he hadn't he too may of gotten killed.

Oh I'm not doubting the fact that cops face a great deal of danger on a daily basis- but a person stepping out a car against an officer's permission, especially if they are walking towards the police officer, at least to me suggests more of a threat than an unknown in a trunk surrounded by police officers.

[QUOTE="GrandJury"]Like I said. In a situation like that you need to think before you shoot. I honestly believe they said that as a scare tactic. At the end of the day the person came out unharmed. Cops need to be prepared for all situations and they need to be ready to use their gun when needed. So I say no, cops do not have to much power. Especially when they go up against gangs who have better weapons and numbers than they do.Scoob64

I hear what you're saying- but if it was only a scare tactic the cop's statement after they came out of the trunk seems a bit odd. - Also, the show said the police were to assume the person inside was using deadly force.

Oh I'm not doubting the fact that cops face a great deal of danger on a daily basis- but a person stepping out a car against an officer's permission, especially if they are walking towards the police officer, at least to me suggests more of a threat than an unknown in a trunk surrounded by police officers.

Scoob64

[QUOTE="skilfulgary"][QUOTE="3sFan"]

Honestly when your a cop you are more cautious. Therefore one hand should always be on your sidearm ready for you to unlatch it. Even after pulling over a driver at night or something. If someone is in the trunk it obviously seems like there trying to ambuse the cops. That would be my reaction. Draw your guns whenever you feel is necessary.

If they pose a threat. The cops have every right to shoot at them.

[QUOTE="3sFan"]

[QUOTE="skilfulgary"] i know most cops aren't bad people and they have a lot to think about wen entering these situations and they arn't stupid but it sometimes seems (on some of these shows) that they handle these things from behind an intimidating and lethal weapon which goes against the whole "innocent until proven guilty" concept.skilfulgary

If they pose a threat. The cops have every right to shoot at them.

Someone hiding in a trunk ... hm thats not a eveyday situation a cop experiences. I would draw my gun too. The guy in the trunk might be holding a gun waiting to ambush the cop.

[QUOTE="skilfulgary"][QUOTE="3sFan"]

If they pose a threat. The cops have every right to shoot at them.

Someone hiding in a trunk ... hm thats not a eveyday situation a cop experiences. I would draw my gun too. The guy in the trunk might be holding a gun waiting to ambush the cop.

if cops are walking around with a paranoid outlook like this they need a shrink not the power that comes with being a police officer who are supposed to help normal people as well as busting caps in drug dealers and murderers.skilfulgary

I haven't seen the video so I can't really comment on it, but you have to understand just because we're getting paid by your tax dollars, it doesn't mean I'm not going to take every precaution to safeguard myself so that I can go home and see my pregnant wife at the end of the shift.

From what you said OP, I think they were trying to intimidate the person in the trunk, for unless they saw a weapon they wouldn't just open up on it. The very LAST thing we want to do is go up to that trunk and pop it open if there's somebody inside. Also, we're allowed to search your entire vehicle---including locked containers---if we find contraband on a visual inspection.

What you should always keep in mind when dealing with an officer is: you're going to get treated exactly how you treat us. If you try and spin some BS when I caught you blowing through a red light---and on top of that start cursing me out and insulting me---I'm going to treat you the exact same way, and it's going to cost you more for ruining my day. That's the simple fact of the matter. Now if you're compliant, admit you did something wrong and are generally a decent human being, I'm either going to let you get away with a warning(because I know what it feels like to want to get home too)or I'll fine you the very minimum.

Yes, we rely heavily on our sidearms. It comes with the job. We rely on them as a compliance technique, because you'd be insane to argue with me if I'm pointing a pistol at you. But it's not like I'm going to draw on you if you're talking to me in the deli, or if you're giving me a complaint. We use it when we have to.

For those of you saying we have too much power, you need to take a look at the things we have to do a daily basis to keep you safe. Because I'm sure if you're being attacked you're going to want my ass coming through your door with my Beretta in order to save you in the quickest and safest manner possible.

Two cents from an actual cop.

[QUOTE="skilfulgary"]if cops are walking around with a paranoid outlook like this they need a shrink not the power that comes with being a police officer who are supposed to help normal people as well as busting caps in drug dealers and murderers.LJS9502_basic

[QUOTE="skilfulgary"]if cops are walking around with a paranoid outlook like this they need a shrink not the power that comes with being a police officer who are supposed to help normal people as well as busting caps in drug dealers and murderers.LJS9502_basic

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"]

[QUOTE="skilfulgary"]if cops are walking around with a paranoid outlook like this they need a shrink not the power that comes with being a police officer who are supposed to help normal people as well as busting caps in drug dealers and murderers.skilfulgary

I believe in a situation like that cops should think logically. Don't just start shooting, infact I believe they just said that to scare them out. GrandJury

Yeah cause there is no way in hell I see them shooting the truck unless they knew 100% the suspect in the trunk had a gun and was going to use it.GrandJury

Behind that gun they think they are invincible, they don't know how much power they have or don't have. Most of the laws, in their entirety, are completely beyond police officers. They have one job- make arrests. Most would say "keep the peace", but if they don't make arrests they often claim that "it's a waste of time" or "I could be doing more important things."

My mom was arrested for disorderly conduct a couple weeks ago, and by law, it was technically "necessary". However, when the police showed up, theyinformed her of nothing, grabbed herfrom her blind side and threw her up against the wall. Hard. My mom isabout 5'6, 140 lbs.

She got a lawyer, the cop knew he ****ed up too because I confronted him about a lot of things that were beyond him when we were in the police station, and he couldn't give me a straight answer. It's no longer his word against hers, and we will find out in January what happens.

Fitting song is fitting.

[QUOTE="3sFan"]

[QUOTE="skilfulgary"] this is very true but in this threads example there was no obvious threat,only a dude in a trunk still bearing in mind that as soon as the officer draws thier weapon they have made the first move and it wasn't neccesary,i think that out of all the powers they have the lethal ones should be the last one they think of.a gun only has one use really.they do have too much power but criminals today seem to insist that it is necessaryskilfulgary

Someone hiding in a trunk ... hm thats not a eveyday situation a cop experiences. I would draw my gun too. The guy in the trunk might be holding a gun waiting to ambush the cop.

There is a difference between paranoid and cautious. And extra caution is a must.

It's illegal for a cop to search your car without your permission, no?Toriko42

If they have probable cause .. smell of drugs or drugs in the open for example.

It's illegal for a cop to search your car without your permission, no?Toriko42

[QUOTE="Toriko42"]It's illegal for a cop to search your car without your permission, no?3sFan

If they have probable cause .. smell of drugs or drugs in the open for example.

You guys need to watch this video first then give your answer.

http://www.documentingreality.com/forum/f57/largest-street-gang-america-dirty-cops-28901/

Fitting song is fitting.

Lto_thaG

No, THIS is more fitting